Tantric Ethics

An Explanation of the Precepts for Buddhist Vajrayana Practice

Je Tsongkhapa, Gareth Sparham

• Publisher: Wisdom Publications
• Year: 2016
• ISBN:
  9780861717804
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Buddhism

Tantra, or Vajrayana, Buddhism is a set of esoteric practices that involve mantra recitation and complex visualizations. Tantra constitutes the fabric of a Tibetan Buddhist's daily practice, but no practice of tantra can be successful without adherence to the tantric precepts, the highest of three complementary sets of vows. Tsongkhapa is perhaps the greatest philosopher ever produced by Tibet's Buddhist culture, and this book is a translation of his explanation of the tantric precepts.

1. Proclamation

THE FIRST has three parts: explanation of the proclamation of vows, explanation of taking vows, and the issue of which consecrations are to be bestowed when vows are or are not kept. The first of these has two parts: the specific pledges of the five families and the general pledges. The first of these has five parts: the pledges of the Vairocana, Akṣobhya, Ratnasaṃbhava, Amitābha, and Amoghasiddhi families, respectively.

SPECIFIC PLEDGES OF THE FIVE FAMILIES

Pledges of Vairocana

[The Vajra Tip Tantra] says:²³

Take refuge in the Three Jewels––the Buddha, Dharma, and Community. This is the firm pledge of the beautiful Buddha family. [Vś 767.2]

“Take refuge in the Three Jewels — the Buddha, Dharma, and Community” is a command. The “pledge of the Buddha” Vairocana “family” is like that. Although [381] many Indian texts have dag instead of dga,²⁴ sangs rgyas rigs dga’ ba’i [“of the beautiful Buddha family”] is correct because Nagpochopa’s two²⁵ [Saṃvara and Mahāmāyā] Maṇḍala Rituals, and Saroruha’s Maṇḍala Ritual and so forth say, dkon mchog gsum la skyabs su song / ’di ni sangs rgyas rigs yid ’ong (“Take refuge in the Three Jewels / It is… the beautiful Buddha family”). It is “firm” means it is hard for the opposition to break it apart.

Pledges of Akṣobhya

The great-minded shall also keep vajra, bell, and mudrā.²⁶ They say the vajra is bodhicitta and the bell is wisdom. They shall also keep the master’s [vow]. Gurus are equal to all the buddhas. They say this is the pledge vow of the pure Vajra family. [Vś 767.2–4]

It proclaims that “the great-minded shall keep vajra, bell, and mudrā.” What are those things that have to be kept? It teaches with “they say the vajra… ” and so forth. I will explain these three in the section on keeping vows [406.6–409.2]. Not only should they keep these three, but they should also “keep the” vajra “master’s” vow out of respect. This is because the benefits and faults that come from respecting or not respecting a guru are “equal” or similar to respecting or not respecting all the buddhas. Thus the victors “say this,” [say that] keeping those four “is the pledge” and “vow of the” completely “pure Vajra” Akṣobhya “family.”

As for the difference between these two, [the pledge and vow,] in Śāntipa’s Commentary on [Dīpaṃkarabhadra’s] Guhyasamāja Maṇḍala Ritual in four hundred and fifty lines, it is said:²⁷

… pledge because it is something that should not be breached;²⁸ vow: conviction about what you should and should not do.²⁹

He thus describes [1] a practice that does not breach a promise and [2] stopping and restraining from not doing what should be done, and from doing what should not be done, respectively. [382] Since [Abhayākara, in his] Vajrāvalī of Maṇḍala Rituals and [Bhāvabhadra, in his] Commentary on the Vajraḍāka Tantra also explain pledge and vow in this way, this is how they should be understood.

Pledges of Ratnasaṃbhava

In the great, excellent Jewel family always, three times day and night, give the four gifts––of materials, fearlessness, doctrine, and love. [Vś 767.4–5]

The “great Jewel” is Ratnasaṃbhava. In his “family always, three times day and night,” in other words, six times, “give the four gifts––of materials” and so forth. The line “They say this is the vow pledge of the pure Jewel family” does not appear in the Vajra Tip Tantra nor in [Ānandagarbha’s] Illumination of the “Compendium of Principles” and Long Śrīparamādya Commentary. It is indicated by the first line [“In the great, excellent Jewel family”]. The same is true for the Action family.

Pledges of Amitābha

You should keep the good Dharma––the external, secret, and the three vehicles. They say this is the pledge vow of the pure Lotus family. [Vś 767.5–6]

“You should keep the good Dharma” of “the three vehicles,” and so forth.³⁰ “They say this is the pledge vow” of the completely “pure Lotus” Amitābha “family.”

Pledges of Amoghasiddhi

In the great, excellent, Action family, keep possession of all the vows perfectly, and as much as you are able, offer worship. [Vś 767.6–7]

It says, “in the Action” Amoghasiddhi “family keep all the vows perfectly, and… offer worship” as well.

GENERAL PLEDGES

This [383] has three parts: the root pledges, the branch pledges, and a summary.

Root Pledges

Besides these, they explain fourteen defeats by opposition. Do not ignore and make light of them. They are said to be root downfalls. Recite them three times every day and three times at night. When yogis break them, gross immorality occurs. [Vś 767.7–768.1]

“Besides” the individual pledges of the five families, “do not ignore” mentally or “make light of” any of the shared pledges physically and verbally. What are these? First this indicates the root pledges, the “fourteen” commitments “mentioned” in the tantras [to avoid] “defeats by the opposition.” They are also referred to by a second name, “root downfalls.” When they occur, the vow is broken and the antidote is defeated. They are “defeats by the opposition” because the defeat is inflicted by the opposing side. A certain earlier writer glosses “ignoring” all the root downfalls and “not making light of” the antidotes.

What, then, are the fourteen root downfalls? I will set them out correctly and explain them in detail later [438ff]. An earlier practitioner of yoga says that transgressing the Three Jewels in the first family; the vajra, bell, and masters in the second; the four offerings in the third; the three doctrines in the fourth; and generosity alone in the last make up the fourteen.³¹ Another person says the fourteen are the opposites of the five vows from not killing up to not drinking,³² desisting from the two of being devoted to the holy ones and offering veneration to spiritual practitioners, the ten nonvirtues that compose wrong [384] physical actions — all of these together being counted as one, the four opposites of not pining for the Hīnayāna, and so forth,³³ thinking deities and so forth are unimportant, and walking over pictures of them and the like.

These two positions are wrong. Why? Because these [the actual fourteen shared vows in highest yoga tantra] explained in the Vajra Tip Tantra are not only proclaimed in yoga tantra, but are also vows spoken of in highest yoga tantra, [and while it might be possible to think that the vows given in the second position define a yoga tantra ordination, nobody could think that such a shared morality defines a highest yoga tantra ordination]. And [since the vows in highest yoga tantra are selfevidently intimately connected with the family buddha pledges], at such a time [when proclaiming the fourteen vows] it would not be right to interpret [the Vajra Tip Tantra’s] “Besides these the fourteen… ” to refer to them.

The question may arise: does this [Vajra Tip Tantra proclamation of the fourteen root defeats] serve as the proclamation of vows in highest yoga tantra contexts as well? Yes it does. For Śāntipa in his Commentary on [Dīpaṃkarabhadra’s] Guhyasamāja Maṇḍala Ritual and Jayabhadra in his nine-hundred-line Saṃvara Maṇḍala Ritual³⁴ proclaim the vows in the way that the Vajra Tip Tantra does, and say they are to be kept. And since the rituals described in the Vajra Tip Tantra are seen to be similar in terms of keeping vows, those proclamations of pledges to be kept are also shared in common. It seems, therefore, that in Indian maṇḍala rituals there are a number of different complete and incomplete presentations of the proclamation of the vows set out in the Vajra Tip Tantra.³⁵

Now, you may say that the earlier [of the two wrong] positions is correct,³⁶ because [Ānandagarbha, in his] Illumination of (the first part of) the “Compendium of Principles” says:

Tathāgata morality is defined as the opposite of the fourteen defeats by the opposition [indicated in the passage that] begins “Just like the lords of the three times, so shall I produce the unequalled… [Vś 768.7–769.6]”

And because he says in part 2 of the Long Śrīparamādya Commentary [385] in commenting on the lines, “Never forsake the vajra, bell, and mudrā… ” [Vś 769.3]

Just by the mere thought, these [defeats] happen. For [just by thinking] “There is no purpose in the mudrā and so forth,” you give up the pledge completely and are defeated.

This does not seem to be correct. The meaning of the former quotation is as follows. Having taught that the vows of the five families indicated in the passage beginning, “Just like the lords… ” is Tathāgata morality, insofar as morality is the opposite of wrongdoing, it teaches what it is in opposition to. It therefore says, “[Tathāgata morality is defined as] the opposite of the fourteen defeats by the opposition.” Just saying that does not enable you to hold that a defeat [one of the fourteen root downfalls] is the opposite of a pledge of the five families. And even if [the passage in Vś 768.7–769.6] did enable you to hold that [view, that the opposites of the family pledges define the fourteen root downfalls], it should teach the opposite of the production of the thought of enlightenment as being a defeat [because not giving up bodhicitta is unquestionably one of the fourteen shared vows]. However, it does not in fact proclaim this [until later on in the next line]. Furthermore, the Vajra Tip Tantra says, “Besides these… ” [implying a list of fourteen root downfalls that are different than the opposites of the family pledges].

Since the latter quotation explains forsaking a mudrā as a defeat, it harms [the first of the two wrong positions], because that [first position] does not mention [a mudrā] in the Vajra family [as does Ānandagarbha].

How, then, to understand the Śrīparamādya Tantra [on which Ānandagarbha’s commentary is based, and based on which I will give the actual list of the fourteen vows]? It reads:

All the buddhas agree that they should always guard this pledge vow siddhi. It is the word of the eternally good. They [practitioners] should not give up the bodhicitta that leaves no doubt about buddhahood just from its being produced (as the mudrāvajra). They should not disparage the holy doctrines a...